What is truly good?
by FeelTrip
Summary: After recalling the events in "Joy Ride", Steven begins to question the Gems, and if they truly are caretakers of the Earth.
1. Chapter 1

" _Chapter One: Betrayal at Heart"_

It was early in the morning, and Steven had just awoken. His eyes were still groggy, and just as a zombie rises from its grave, Steven slowly rose from his bed. He looked around the room to find that everything appeared to be dim. He stared out the window and saw that the sky was filled with dark gray clouds. Almost always, Steven would just jump out of bed; feeling excited for what the day would have to offer. Today, however, he wasn't really feeling like… himself. He let out a long sigh and dragged himself out of bed. Walking down the stairs, he noticed that none of the Crystal Gems were there.

"Probably off on another mission," Steven muttered under his breath.

He walked over to the fridge, and pulled out the milk. He headed to the cabinet and got out a box of cereal, and bowl for the combination of the two. As he let the cereal sit in the milk, allowing it to get soft and mushy, he was still not feeling like himself. He held the spoon up, but just stared into the bowl of cereal. The wind outside began to pick up pace, slamming hard against screen door. The first slam of the wind on the door startled Steven, who just returned to staring sadly down into his bowl of cereals. Suddenly, he began to remember every exact detail that had happened when he discovered Peridot's escape pod. He remembered how the Gems violently attacked the pod. How they had an expression of terror and anger in their eyes. How ruthless they were, even after Buck, Sour Cream, and Jenny told them to stop. And even after they discovered that Steven was in the pod, they didn't even apologize to him. They just scolded him. The Crystal Gems were supposed to be guardians, protecting and caring for everything on Earth.

"Yet when they attacked me, they did not care for any of us," Steven said, "Hell, Garnet nearly punched Jenny in the face. Garnet could've killed her!"

Steven started to clench his fists out of anger and frustration.

"I know that they did it to protect us, but are they willing to hurt us as well?"

Steven began to grind his teeth, clutch onto his head. He grew angry at the Gems. These thoughts made him think that maybe the Gems weren't as they appear to be. Amidst his thinking, a bright light beamed from the portal. There stood the three gems with a corrupted gem bubbled. Garnet sent to the gem to where the other corrupted gems were held.

"That one was a slippery little one, am I right," Amethyst asked.

"We would've been able to catch it sooner if you hadn't goofed around," Pearl said.

"Hey, not my fault I wanted to do some sightseeing."

"You nearly collapsed the cave around us! What if Steven had-"

Pearl felt a sudden nudge from Garnet on her back. Garnet's finger pointed to the sadden Steven, who did not even bother looking up. He didn't even say, 'Hello! What was today's mission?' He was just staring into his bowl of cereal. The Gems knew that something was wrong, but they didn't know what to do. They all just nervously rubbed the back of their necks. Before any of them could say anything, Steven got up and walked to the door.

"I'm gonna go for a walk," Steven said.

"Oh, okay," Pearl responded, "Have you eaten, yet?"

"I'm not hungry. I'm going for a walk. Alone."

The Gems felt hurt and felt responsible for Steven being like this. They just couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Pearl headed after Steven, reaching out to him.

"Steven, please talk to us. What is wrong?"

"I said, I'm going for a walk," Steven shouted, smacking Pearl's hand away from him.

The expression on Pearl's face was that of hurt. Garnet and Amethyst looked surprised at Steven's actions. Steven, himself, looked up at them all with anger in his eyes. He didn't apologize to any of them. He didn't care that they felt hurt. He just didn't care. Steven opened the door, and headed down the stairs.

"P," Amethyst questioned.

Pearl didn't even respond. She just turned, and ran into her room, leaving a trail of tears in her path.

"Pearl," Amethyst shouted.

"Go find out what is wrong with Pearl," Garnet ordered, "I'll go see what is wrong with Steven."

Amethyst ran towards the temple door, and Garnet ran after Steven. She was able to see his steps in the sand, but they were quickly fading from the wind. Soon, the steps disappeared, Garnet just looked around worriedly. Soon, she heard tiny whimpers from behind a boulder. She slowly approached it, turning the corner, to see a crying Steven, his face buried into his knees.

"I'm sorry," Steven repeated, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He just repeated these words over and over again, hoping that someone could hear them. That someone being Pearl. He did not notice Garnet, and Garnet was hesitant to approach him. However, when Garnet tried to approach him silently, her hand had slipped from the rock it was placed on, and she tumbled to the ground. Steven looked at Garnet on the ground, and stood up. Before Garnet could say anything, Steven turned and ran away from the Gem.

"Steven," Garnet shouted.

But he did not hear her cries. He could only hear hatred and anger and rage to him. Garnet got up and ran after him. Whatever it was that was bothering him, it took away the joyous, loveable boy from them. Garnet was certain to find out what was wrong with the child.


	2. Where true intentions lie

**(Authors Note: I am writing this chapter at 3 a.m. because I was excited about these chapters, so sorry if it seems to be poor. Enjoy!)**

" _Chapter Two: Where true intentions lie"_

After Garnet found Steven, he ran from her. He ran as fast as he could, ignoring her calls to him. He didn't even turn to see how far she was, he didn't want to see her face. He knew that what he did was hurtful, especially to Pearl. However, his mind was still at conflicts with itself. Parts of his mind wanted to believe that the Gems were truly good, that they wanted to help the beings of this world. That part of his mind would even think back to times where he saw the good in them. The time the Red Eye approached the beach; or the time that Jasper and the Homeworld Gems invaded Earth, and they stayed behind to fend off the enemy while the city evacuated. However, there was another part of his mind that thought otherwise. That they did not really care for the Earth. That the Crystal Gems only "cared" for Earth because Rose did. However, this side could only think of when the Gems attack the escape pod with Steven in it. Steven remembered the fear he felt within him. He remembered the scared expressions that Buck, Sour Cream, and Jenny. The Gems attacked the pod; they didn't care for what the others were telling them. They just attacked. Viciously and maliciously, Steven saw the anger in the Gems' eyes. Steven had begun to slow his speed and by the time he stopped, he had arrived to what appeared to be an undiscovered part of the beach. The sand was smooth looking, and the ocean looked clearer than that of the ocean in front of his house. Garnet had slowed her pace as well, and slowly approached Steven.

"Don't come near me," Steven shouted.

Garnet retracted her hand, and looked at Steven with a hurt expression. Steven continued to look away from Garnet, the wind blowing through his curly hair.

"Do you care, Garnet," Steven asked, "Do you all really care about the Earth?"

Garnet, with a surprised expression now, responded.

"Of course I care for this world, Steven. What would make you think otherwise?"

"What about with Peridot's escape pod? After you guys arrived, you immediately started attacking the pod, even after my friends told you to stop!"

Garnet didn't respond. She realized that the Gems did act rather rash and quickly.

"And what made you finally stop? Jenny had to step in front of your fists in order to prevent me from being killed! She could've died because of you!"

"I know that, Steven," Garnet yelled, "Why else did you think I stopped?"

"But you could've stopped before! You had your chance to stop, but you didn't! You had to place a human in danger in order for you to stop! A human!"

"That's enough, Steven." Garnet ordered.

"Why did you get come to Earth, again? Because of my mom, right?"

At that moment, Steven's Gem began to glow a bright pink. Soon, his body glowed as well.

"Admit it! You all don't really care for humans! You only did it because of my mom!"

When his body stopped glowing, Garnet looked at Steven in sorrow. She saw, from the little boy, Rose Quartz. Garnet removed her shades, and tears began to form from her eyes. Steven, or rather Rose, stood there with an angry expression on her face.

"Truly, you all dislike human! Pearl cannot stand our biology, Amethyst does not like when people try to interact with her, and you would always correct everything that was incorrect with humans! Admit it! You followed my mom's orders, and now that she's gone, you all are lost!"

Garnet had reached her breaking point. With swiftness, Garnet slapped Rose across her face. The force was so strong that it knocked her off her feet. Her gem and body began to glow again, and soon, Rose had become Steven. Steven held onto his face, and stared at Garnet with pain and horror. Garnet soon realized what she had done, and extended out her hand to Steven.

"Steven, I-I am sorry."

Steven did not grab her hand. Instead, he pulled himself backwards from the Gem. He quickly turned, and got up off the ground, running once again from the Gem. Just as Garnet began to chase after Steven, a loud roar was heard. From behind, Lion jumped over Garnet, and landed in front of Steve, acting as a shield to his owner. Lion got into a stance that appeared to be as though he was going to pounce at Garnet. However, before Lion could act, Steven tugged at his mane, and shook his head. Lion turned away from his master, and glared at Garnet, letting off a small growl. Steven hopped onto Lion's back, and Lion roared, opening a portal to an unknown destination. Steven did not care where it took him. He just wanted to be away from them. Garnet tried to run towards the portal first, but Lion was faster, hopping through it and shutting it afterwards. Garnet had dove for the portal, but ended up diving into the sand. She slowly rose to her knees, and began to sob.

"Steven, forgive me. I'm sorry," she cried.

Back at the temple, Amethyst continued to try to contact Pearl. She was held off in her room for half an hour, and Amethyst began to get worried. Pearl had locked her door from the others, so Amethyst had to take another route: through the water pools that connect her room and Pearl's room. After Amethyst jumped into the pool, she arrived in Pearl's room, and began her search for Pearl. She soon found the Gem, crying at the highest placed pool, her tears fading into the water. Pearl had her face buried in her knees, her hands clutching at her head. She was hurting, and Amethyst knew that she was the one who had to heal her.


	3. Broken Promise

**(Author's Note: This chapter will be focused on Amethyst comforting Pearl, but there is no PearlxAmethyst, so sorry if I crushed the dreams of Pearlmethyst being included. Nor is it about PearlxRose.)**

" _Chapter Three: Broken Promise"_

Pearl turned her back from Amethyst, who was slowly approaching her, hand extended out. Pearl's body was trembling, showing the hurt she still felt from Steven's actions. Amethyst wasn't the best when it came to consoling, so she wasn't too certain as to how to go about this situation. She honestly thought a simple pat on the back, saying, 'Hey, it'll be okay', would have sufficed, seeing as how it worked for Garnet or Steven when they consoled anyone. But she knew that it would not work in this specific situation.

"Um, P-Pearl," Amethyst said, "Listen, um, what Steven did back there… I mean, the poor kid-"

"Do you think he ha-hates me," Pearl stammered.

"What? No, of course not, P! I mean, he's been through a lot. He's seen Garnet get "killed", been knocked out, kidnapped, he just has a lot on his mind, you know."

Amethyst's words didn't seem to help, for Pearl had begun to shake even more violently.

"No, wait, Pearl. I didn't mean to-"

"I'm sorry, Rose," Pearl muttered, "I'm sorry I couldn't be the caretaker I said I would be."

Amethyst looked at Pearl confused. Why was Pearl talking about Rose at a time like this? It was true that when Rose left, Pearl had taken longer to recover than everyone else. Amethyst still remembers how she acted towards the others, especially towards her. She remembers that one day, when Pearl had chosen to go on a mission alone, Amethyst went to go look for her, seeing as she took longer than as was anticipated.

 _(12 years earlier)_

She had taken the warp pad to Pearl's destination, which was an island out in the middle of the ocean. When Amethyst arrived, she found what appeared to be a corrupted gem, broken. Knowing that the mission had been long over, Amethyst searched for Pearl on the island, and soon found her. She found Pearl just attacking the wilderness on the island. She cut trees in two; she cut through rocks like a knife through butter. With every strike made, the rage in Pearl's eyes grew. When Amethyst moved some bushes aside, the noise startled Pearl, who made her way towards Amethyst, spear aimed at the throat of the young Gem. Soon, Pearl came to her senses, she realized what she had done, and ran from her.

"Pearl," Amethyst shouted.

 _(Present day)_

"Pearl," Amethyst said, "What did you say? You were apologizing to Rose?"

Pearl sat there in silence, moving her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"What are you doing apologizing to Rose for? What is it that you have to be sorry for?"

"Because I failed her," Pearl shouted, "I promised her that I would be a great caretaker for Steven, and I failed her."

Amethyst grew frustrated, clenching her fists.

"Is that why you are sad? Because you felt as though you failed Rose? Steven is out there, probably hurting, and you can only feel self loathsome?"

"It's as I said, Amethyst! I had a bond that none of you can understand!"

"It doesn't matter what bond you HAD with Rose! Don't you think what should matter is the bond you HAVE with Steven?"

The tone in Amethysts voice grew angrier. You could sense the fury growing within her. And Pearl's words were not helping sooth the ever-growing angry Gem.

"But I failed her, Amethyst! The day she left us, I had sworn to her that I would care for Steven, and now, twelve years later, by vow has been broken!"

"What about Steven, huh? You talk as though Rose was still her, but she's not Pearl! She's gone, but Steven is here! Shouldn't you worry about him?"

Pearl didn't respond. She didn't even turn to Amethyst; she just stared at the water as it fell over the rim. At that moment, Amethyst thought of something. Over the years, Pearl always talked about Rose; made comparisons about Steven to Rose. Rose was the only thing Pearl could talk about fully.

"Pearl," Amethyst quietly asked, "Do you—do you even care about Steven?"

The accusation shot Pearl up, and turns towards Amethyst. Her eyes were filled with sense ire. She charged to Amethyst, her face inches from Amethyst's. Her breathing increased, and her face was growing a bright blue out of rage.

"How do you say that," Pearl screamed, "I do care for Steven! I loved the boy ever since Rose-"

"Quit lying," Amethyst shouted, "Admit it Pearl: you didn't care for Steven before, and you don't care for him now!"

Pearl's temper ran out, and she punched Amethyst with such force, she was sent over the edge, falling into a lower level pool. Pearl hopped down after Amethyst, looking sorry for what she had done. As she had approached Amethyst, however, she found herself wrapped in her whip once more. Amethyst launched Pearl over head, knocking her against the wall. Pearl struggled to escape to the constraints, but the bonds were too tight for her to escape. Amethyst brought Pearl close to her, and punched her. The rage and anger took over her, and she continued to assault the capture Gem. Soon, however, after what felt like an eternity of punches delivered to her body, Amethyst's punches became slower and softer. Soon, the youngest of the Gems began to sob.

"I miss her, too," Amethyst cried, "But, please, remember something: we lost a mother that day, but we also gained a son. I know it's been difficult for us all, but we have to be there for Steven! We have to protect our son as Rose would have!"

Pearl came to a sudden realization. She did not fail Rose. Rather, she failed Steven; she failed herself. She had been focused on how Rose would have thought of her that she never realized what kind of mother she truly was to Steven. Amethyst released Pearl from her bond, who then wrapped her arms around Amethyst. They both squeezed each other tightly, tears rolling rapidly down their faces, and repeatedly saying, 'Sorry'.

When they broke apart, Amethyst carried an injured Pearl back into the living room, and set her on the couch. They sat next to each other, and looked each other, both growing a smile on their faces. They waited, patiently, for Garnet to return with Steven. They thought that Steven would return running to the two, and hugging them, but that was not the case. When Garnet returned, both the Gems looked confused.

"Where's Steven," Amethyst asked.

She did not answer. She looked at the two, tears in her eyes, and fell to her knees. Pearl and Amethyst ran to her, wrapping their arms around her. They all grew worried as to where there son had went. Meanwhile, Steven had arrived to a location that was new to him. The sun was high over head, shining ever so brightly down on his head. The wind was blowing softly on Steven's face. The field was large and appeared to be never ending. The grass was tall, reaching up to Steven's shoulders. It appeared to be empty, only he and Lion were standing in the field.

"Where am I," he inquired.

However, he soon heard an angelic voice from somewhere. He just couldn't see where it was. He wondered the field, trying to pin point the location of the singing. For ten minutes, he saw one other person in the distance. Her back towards Steven, the stranger had her arms extended in front of her. Steven slowly approached the stranger, curious as to where he was. He tugged at her long dress, which got the rather tall woman's attention. When she turned around, Steven's heart felt like it skipped a beat. He startled backwards, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

"Mom?"


	4. A son's pain, a mother's cure

_**(Author's Note: Okay, so I wanted to try and update this story daily for you guys, but with time conflict, I might update it once every other day. But remember, I said "might". Anyways, here's the next chapter of Steven's inner conflict.)**_

" _Chapter Four: A son's pain, a mother's cure"_

Steven was dumbfounded. There stood before him, was his long past mother. He had only heard tales of her from the Gems and his father, Greg. She was everything that he was told: she had a lovely voice; was incredibly tall, much taller than Garnet was, and had beautifully, long pink hair. Now, seeing her for the first time, Steven could not find the words to say to her. What can be said when you are staring at the person who sacrificed themselves for you. His breathing grew rapidly, his chest going up and down at an alarming rate. He was shaking in the spot he stood in. Finally, he realized what to do.

"Mommy," Steven cried, running into the open arms of his long gone mother.

She embraced the crying child, tears forming around her eyes as well. Steven had his face pressed against his mothers, tears and mucus running down his face. Soon, Rose picked the boy up from under his arms, and smiled at him. She twirled him around in the air, and began laughing. After a while, she pulled him back in, her face nuzzling against his. Steven grew a smile on his face, but was still confused as to what was going on. However, he didn't care about it as much. All he knew was that his mother was there for him. Rose set the teary eyed child down, and just continued to smile upon him.

"Steven," Rose said, "I know why you are here."

"You do," Steven questioned.

"Yes, Steven. You are here because you are hurting in here," she said poking at the child's chest.

Steven looked down on the ground, and wiped the tears from his eyes. He couldn't tell her what he was thinking. How he treated the others. How he thought of the others. He sat down, remaining ever so silent. His mother began to lower herself, and place her hand on his shoulder.

"Steven," she asked, "Please, my son, tell me what is wrong."

Steven was still ever so resilient. He didn't want his first words to his mother be that of negativity. Finally, Rose stood up and began walking. She turned towards Steven, hinting at him to follow her. He stood up and did so. After a while of silently walking straight, they came across a rather large pool. Not big enough to be a lake, but was still big, nonetheless. Steven slowly approached the edge of the water, and stared into pools reflection. He stared back at himself, a single tear falling into the water. He saw his mother approach from behind, and he turned.

"Do you know what this place is Steven? This is a sanctuary. An untouched piece of land that neither Gem nor Human –kind have ever discovered. I found this place one day, and decided to make it my private getaway."

"Getaway from what, though," the boy implored.

The question caused Rose's smile to disappear, and a frown to take its place.

"Steven, during the war, many lives were lost: both Gem and Human life."

"Yes, that's what everyone told me."

"Then you must understand that some of the lives that fell were caused by my hands."

Steven looked up to his mother with a shocked expression, but that soon faded, knowing that war is a deadly thing.

"For many years after the war, the Gems and I couldn't bare what we had done. However, they soon got over their deeds and continued to live on. I couldn't. The expression on each of the fallen victims haunted me for nearly millennia. That was until I discovered this place. When I remember the war, I came here and I would cry, and I would scream, and I would apologize for all who had perished: allies or enemies. And for quite some time I thought that it would help, but it just made the memories grow more. Until I met your father, Greg. He was so optimistic and so cute when he played songs for me with his guitar. Shortly after we began dating, I felt sad and had decided to escape here with the help of Lion. I thought I did so in secret, but apparently, your father was nearby and decided to follow me. When he found me, he saw me on my knees, crying into this very pool, repeatedly saying, 'Sorry'. He approached me, and wrapped his arms around me, saying, 'You do not need to suffer alone, you know. You have friends and loved ones who will help you with the pain.' I broke down, and told him about my pain. He embraced me tighter, consoling me with his comforting words. Soon after, he tried to carry me like a princess, but he was too weak to do so, so he set me down, and we walked back to Lion."

Steven began to look ashamed. He thought his mother wouldn't want to hear the negativity in his head, but in reality, she wants to heal the negativity in his heart as well. Steven gave in, and told her everything: the invasion, the escape pod, him questioning the Gems, everything! Afterwards, he kept his gaze forwards towards the lake.

"So, you honestly believe that the Gems do not care for Earth," Rose query.

"Yes, I mean, no… I mean—I don't know anymore," Steven shouted, pulling onto his hair. Then, he felt a strong warmth wrap around his body.

"You need not worry about that, Steven," his mother calmly said, "Pearl may appear to be disgusted by humans, but she does try her best when it comes to caring for them. Before you were born, she began to read parenting books on how to raise a baby. However, she was still a bit confused about it, but seeing you now, I think the books helped."

They both shared in a chuckle.

"Amethyst is still young for a Gem, you have to remember that. For most of her life she was trapped in a hole, meant to be some type of weapon. But she never did once attack a human. She kept her strength together, and tried her best to protect them from corrupted gems. As for Garnet-"

"Or do you mean Ruby and Sapphire?"

Rose looked surprised at the fact that Steven had already known the two.

"Remember, Steven, they are not one person, and they are not two people."

Steven looked down, and nodded.

"Garnet has always tried her best to handle well under pressure, but she will crack when it becomes too much. What happened with the pod… Yes it is true that Garnet almost harmed a human, however, you all experienced more Homeworld Gems in nearly five thousand years of them leaving Earth. She must've snapped, and thought the worse was to happen if, umm, Peridot?"

Steven nodded as in conformation for the name.

"If Peridot had escaped, then more Gems would come, and they would've over powered the others and destroy your world. Steven, it may appear at most times that they are only caring out my wishes, but they truly do care about the Earth. About you," she said as she stroked her finger on his cheek, wiping away a tear.

Steven felt awful. All those things he thought, the things he did. He felt awful.

"How do I tell them I'm sorry?"

"If you truly are, you don't need to say a thing," Rose smiled.

Steven looked back and returned the smile. He got to his feet, and began walking towards Lion. Suddenly, he thought of something.

"Hey, what if you came ba-"

He turned to find himself standing again, alone, in the open field. He looked around trying to see if he can still catch a glimpse of her, but to no avail. Tears were around his eyes, but a smile grew on his face. He looked at the pool in the distance and smiled.

"Good bye, mom," he whispered.

He mounted Lion once more, and told him to take him back to the temple. The portal opened, and Lion hoped through, taking them both to the front of the house. Steven got off, and stood there standing, staring at the house. He was ready. He was ready to return him.

 _ **(Author's Note 2: No, this is not the ending to the story. There's one more after and a possible "after story" kinda chapter. Anyways, see you next time!)**_


	5. Righting what was wrong

_**(Author's Note: This is the last chapter to the story, but might end up doing an "after chapter" kind of thing. If you, the reader, would like something like this, then feel free to message me or write in the comments about it. Until then, have fun reading the "last" chapter of**_ **"What is truly good?"** _ **."**_

" _Chapter Five: Righting what was wrong"_

The sky was still filled with dark, grey clouds. The wind was picking up, blowing sand at Steven's face. It was different than the place he had just come back from; from his sanctuary. Steven stood on the sand staring up at his home. When he first returned, all he could think about was how he had treated the Gems. How hurt they all felt, especially Pearl. He was sorry for ever thinking anything else of them. They truly cared for the Earth, and they were truly good. Steven clenched his fists, and swallowed nervously. Though his mother's words did provide some comfort, he still did not know how the others would respond. However, regardless of how they perceived him after what he did, if they ended up… disliking him, Steven would, from now on, protect and care for them all, no matter what. He slowly made his ways up stairs, trying not to cause them to creak loudly. He did not want to alert the Gems of his return. When he got to the top, he was about to open the door when a sound stopped him in his tracks. It was sobbing, and he could tell that it was the Gems. Pearl, Amethyst, and two other cries he didn't hear before. They all had been crying. Steven peeked through the window, prying in on what was wrong.

"It's my fault," Pearl sobbed, "I-If I-I wasn't so bothersome, he-he wouldn't have been like this!"

"No, P, it's my fault," Amethyst chokingly said, "I've always treated him as a toy. Maybe that's why he finally snapped.

"But we were the ones who hit him," another voice said.

"Sapphire," Steven confusingly said.

"I acted irrationally," Ruby confessed, "I should've waited to hear him before acting."

They all took turns taking blame for what had happened with Steven. They believed that if they found the source, then Steven would feel better, and their happy little boy would come back. Ruby was pacing back and forth, and Sapphire had her face down on the coffee table. They all seemed so distressed for what happened with Steven. The young Gem couldn't take it anymore, and went inside. As he stood at the doorway, they all started at him with a surprised expression, as if they didn't expect him to ever return. Silence fell onto the room; only the crashing waves could be heard. Steven was staring down at the floor, still ashamed for what he had done. Before anyone else could say anything, he spoke up.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking, "I'm sorry I said those things. I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He fell onto his knees as he repeated those two words. He started to loudly sob, prompting the others to run to him, hugging the boy. Tears were on the corner of everyone's eyes. They all broke down more than they were before. Soon after, they broke away from each, but slowly, not wanting to cease it, but knowing it had to end. When they broke apart, Ruby and Sapphire were the only ones who still felt ashamed for what they had done. They looked away from everyone else, and from each other. Anyone present could tell that they were still in need of comforting.

"Um, Ruby," Steven said.

She didn't look at him. She jolted her head further away from his voice. Steven walked towards the red Gem, and hugged her, tightly.

"Steven," Ruby questioned.

He didn't respond, but instead, brought in Sapphire to the mix. They both looked surprised at him, originally thinking that he would try to stay away from them, considering what they had done to him. But they didn't fight it. They both hugged the child, and squeezed tighter with each passing second. Soon, Steven had to tell them he couldn't breathe. After they released him, Steven thought it was time to the rest why he did what he did. However, before he could say anything, Pearl raised her hand.

"We already know, Steven. Garnet had told us everything before. Steven, is that what you truly believed?"

"Well, at first, yeah. But not anymore. I now know that you all DO care for this world. And all of its people."

A smile grew on Pearl's face, and she approached Steven, going down on one knee. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"At first, we did protect this world for Rose," she stated, "We followed her orders because she was a great leader and a wonderful friend. And it wasn't until after a long while that we could finally see the beauty that this world truly held." Her voice began cracking.

"When your mother left us, we did feel at a lost. We didn't know what to do with ourselves. We couldn't stand to be around each other as much. However, shortly after you came into our lives, we realized what our purpose was. It was to protect this world, Steven. To protect everyone. Especially, to protect you. I'm sorry that you thought of us like that, Steven. The last thing we would ever want is to hurt you."

"And I understand that, now," he replied, "I understand that everything you have done was to protect the people of this world. The incident with the escape pod was only an accident. You acted to protect everyone. I'm sorry, too, for ever thinking of you guys as something else."

Emotions ran wild again, and the all hugged each other once more. Smiles were on all their faces, and tears were forming on the corner of their eyes. When they broke away once more, they all stared at each other happily. Steven, although he still felt a little bad about what happened, was content with his feelings now. He knew that the Gems were caring people no matter what, and that they all knew what is truly good.


End file.
